17 foot Casita rear wondow leak

[ccornell]

My rear window was broken out of my Casita trailer. A new window was installed and it is leaking. Any guidance anyone can give me to get this rear window leak repaired properly will be greatly appreciated!

[John in Michigan]

First need to pin down exactly where the water is coming in. Can do this by spraying water on the window with a garden hose while a second person carefully observes from inside. Possibilities are:

- Between the outer window frame and fiberglass body. If this is the case, remove the entire window, re-seal with a thick layer (or double layer) of butyl tape and re-install.
- Through factory seams in the outer frame. Use a marine grade sealant or epoxy to seal seams.
- Between the sliding and/or fixed sash and the outer frame. If water is slowly rising in the bottom track, make sure the weep holes are not plugged up. Also look for gaps in, or missing rubber/plastic seals.
- Around edges of glass pane(s). This requires removing and re-sealing glass pane(s).

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by ccornell

My rear window was broken out of my Casita trailer. A new window was installed and it is leaking. ..

Who replaced it? If a business did, then go back and insist that they do it right.

If you replaced it, then describe how you went about it. Any problem with the method can then be identified.

[J Ron]

Captain tolley's creeping crack sealer will work well if the leak is not large. It's a clear thin liquid that will run into all the cracks and seal them you can put multiple coats of it after it dries dries.

[Jon in AZ]

Agree with Gordon. Who did the installation? Point of clarification: was the whole window replaced, or just the broken glass?

Even if I were having someone else fix the leak, it never hurts to do a little testing yourself. A container with a pour spout will allow for more precise aiming of water to pin down the leak. Work from the bottom up.

There are three common ways a window can leak (from most to least likely): (1) It can leak around the outer flange where it is sealed to the fiberglass shell, caused by a small gap in the butyl sealant. That would be the first thing to check on a new installation. (2) It can leak at the bottom channels where the window panes slide. If the drain slots (weep holes) are blocked with debris or incompletely punched on a new window (a "hanging chad"), rain fills the channels and overflows into the trailer. (3) it can leak around the internal seals between the glass and the frame. That's more common on an older window, but if a pane was replaced, it might not be completely sealed into the frame.